Americans United - Lee Greenwoodhttps://au.org/tags/lee-greenwood
enPrayer Posturing: La. Officials Seek Taxpayer Support For Religious Programhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/prayer-posturing-la-officials-seek-taxpayer-support-for-religious-program
<a href="/about/people/rob-boston">Rob Boston</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">An arm of the government, such as a sheriff’s office, should not support a religiously biased program, and the federal government certainly should not fund it.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) says she’s concerned about Americans’ right to pray. In fact, she has just <a href="http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/07/mary_landrieu_bill_bans_some_r.html">introduced legislation</a> she says will protect this right. She calls it the “Freedom to Pray” bill.</p><p>Wait a minute. Don’t we already have the right to pray? It’s in the First Amendment, after all.</p><p>As it turns out, Landrieu’s bill has little to do with the freedom to pray and a lot to do with making sure that a group that coerces children to pray remains eligible for federal funding.</p><p>Here’s what’s going on: A few months ago, the Bossier Sherriff’s Office in Louisiana was denied $15,000 in federal funding for its “Young Marines” program. The program is designed to keep youngsters out of trouble and operates along a quasi-military model. The kids dress in camouflage and go through a type of kiddie basic training where they learn about military history and customs.</p><p>So far so good. Then we come to this passage in the program, which asserts that recruits will “develop and grow with special emphasis on the love of God and fidelity to our country.” Furthermore, participants must swear an oath to “Keep myself clean in mind by attending the church of my faith.”</p><p>The program is also rife with prayers, although planners insist they are “voluntary.” But people always say that in cases like this. The prayers are never really voluntary. You try being the one kid in the room who doesn’t want to take part.</p><p>It’s pretty obvious that this is a religious program. Children from non-theistic families and probably some others as well wouldn’t feel comfortable taking part. An arm of the government, such as a sheriff’s office, should not support a program like this, and the federal government certainly should not fund it.</p><p>Bossier Sheriff Julian Whittington isn’t doing himself any favors. At a July 4 rally, Whittington (who was joined by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and country singer Lee Greenwood) told the crowd, “We are a Christian nation based on Christian ideals, and the very idea of the mention of God or voluntary prayer is somehow prohibited and offensive is just as upsetting to them as it is to me.”</p><p>Yeah, I sure trust this guy to run the program in a way that will respect the rights of all the children taking part.</p><p>A local blogger, Randall T. Hayes, has more <a href="http://thebaldcypress.blogspot.com/2013/07/cops-marine-drill-instructors.html">here</a>. Be sure to read his report because it’s very eye-opening and contains a lot of good links.</p><p>Landrieu weighed in last week with a press release bemoaning the fact that the program was denied tax aid “because of voluntary prayer and the mention of God in the program.” Her proposed legislation would make it illegal to “revoke or withhold Federal financial assistance that would otherwise be provided to any recipient of such assistance on the basis of religious activities that are conducted voluntarily and initiated by participants in a program or activity carried out by such recipient.”</p><p>In other words, organizations could load up their activities with prayer, Bible reading and other sectarian activities and still get taxpayer funding as long as they find a way to pretend that it’s all “voluntary.”</p><p>Not only is this proposal offensive, it’s also unnecessary. The Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership has been grappling with the question of religious activities in taxpayer-funded programs. Americans United is not fond of everything that office does, but it has at least made an effort to protect people from being forced to take part in religious worship as a condition of receiving assistance. Landrieu’s proposal would wipe that all away.</p><p>If the Bossier Sheriff’s Office wants to run a program that’s open to all young people in the area and that’s free of religious bias, then let them have at it. They could apply for federal funding then. They’ve chosen instead to sponsor a program with religious indoctrination – and they want you and me to pay for it.</p><p>It doesn’t work that way. Landrieu ought to understand that and withdraw her misguided piece of legislation. </p><p> </p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/faith-based-initiative-government-funding-religious-social-service-providers">The Faith-Based Initiative &amp; Government Funding of Religious Social Service Providers</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/other-government-subsidies-religious-institutions-not-including-schools">Other Government Subsidies of Religious Institutions (not including schools)</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/bossier-sheriffs-office">Bossier Sheriff&#039;s Office</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/louisiana">louisiana</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/us-sen-mary-landrieu">U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/julian-whittington">Julian Whittington</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/randall-t-hayes">Randall T. Hayes</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/gov-bobby-jindal">Gov. Bobby Jindal</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lee-greenwood">Lee Greenwood</a></span></div></div>Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:03:13 +0000Rob Boston8764 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/prayer-posturing-la-officials-seek-taxpayer-support-for-religious-program#commentsSour Note: New York Principal Unfairly Attacked For Omitting ‘God Bless The USA’ From Elementary Graduationhttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sour-note-new-york-principal-unfairly-attacked-for-omitting-god-bless-the
<a href="/about/people/barry-lynn-0">Barry Lynn</a><div class="field field-name-field-blog-type field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/blogs/wall-of-separation">Wall of Separation</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-callout field-type-text-long field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Asking God to bless America could certainly be offensive or alienating to humanists, atheists, Buddhists, Hindus or anyone who values church-state separation. It was absolutely the correct decision.</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="prose"><p>When I think of songs that might be appropriate for a public elementary school graduation, one that does not come to mind is Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless The USA.”</p><p><a href="http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/proudtobeamerican.html">The song</a>, which isn’t even very good, talks about not forgetting those who died preserving freedom for Americans. I like that sentiment personally, but the concept might be a little over the head of your average elementary schooler. </p><p>It also asks God to bless the USA. It’s right there in the title, and it’s constitutionally problematic because public schools aren’t supposed to be in the business of promoting religion, even if it’s not a specific religion. Honestly, the idea that God favors one country is fraught with all kinds of theological subtexts that are best left to parents and clergy to discuss with children if they believe it necessary. </p><p>If God “blesses” us, does this mean he endorses our military policies and desires the same outcome as President Barack Obama does? If God “blesses” us in particular, why did the attacks of 9-11 succeed?</p><p>That’s why I was happy to see that Greta Hawkins, principal of a school on Coney Island, N.Y., decided that “God Bless the USA” would be <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/10/coney-island-principal-says-no-to-god-bless-the-usa-says-yes-to-justin-biebers-baby/">removed from the June 20 graduation program</a> at her school.</p><p>According to CBS New York, school officials said the lyrics for the song were not age appropriate, and the report quoted Hawkins as saying that “we don’t want to offend other cultures.”</p><p>Asking God to bless America could certainly be offensive or alienating to humanists, atheists, Buddhists, Hindus or anyone who values church-state separation. It was absolutely the correct decision.</p><p>Hawkins was also within her rights as a public school principal to pick and choose graduation songs. Federal courts have addressed this issue before and said that school officials have broad discretion in these matters.</p><p>Hawkins happens to be a Jehovah’s Witness, but there is no evidence that her decision on the song has anything to do with her personal viewpoint. She is supporting a fundamental constitutional viewpoint that happens to coincide with her personal belief. </p><p>For her actions, Hawkins, who is African American, has been subjected to a wave of <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/high-school-principal-target-racist-rants-article-1.1093240">racially fueled criticism</a> that is truly appalling. She has received hate mail, with comments like “You are a filthy, dirty, ugly subhuman gorilla,” and “Let’s hope that AIDS will do what sickle cell anemia failed to do, exterminate your whole simian race,” the <em>Daily News</em> said.</p><p>Sadly that kind of reaction is pretty standard for unpopular decisions.</p><p>One song that the students will be allowed to sing at their graduation, however, is Justin Bieber’s “Baby.” I don’t know that “Baby” was a particularly strong choice from an educational standpoint.</p><p>I’m told that the <a href="http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/justinbieber/baby.html">song</a> is about a boy’s first love, which is a little over the head of a demographic that probably still thinks the opposite sex has “cooties,” though at least the chorus is pretty simple: “Baby, baby, baby oooh/ Like baby, baby, baby nooo/ Like baby, baby, baby oooh/ I thought you'd always be mine (mine).”</p><p>Fortunately quality of songs is not mandated by the Constitution. If it were, Bieber would certainly not pass muster for this or any other graduation. But if this is what the school wants, they have the discretion to use it, and it raises no First Amendment issues at all, unlike that paean to “divine patriotism,” “God Bless The USA.”</p></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Issues:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/school-prayer">School Prayer</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/issues/religious-music">Religious Music</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/lee-greenwood">Lee Greenwood</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/god-bless-the-usa-0">God Bless the USA</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/greta-hawkins">Greta Hawkins</a></span>, <span class="field-item"><a href="/tags/justin-bieber">Justin Bieber</a></span></div></div><div class="tags clearfix"><div class="field-label">Location:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><span class="field-item"><a href="/our-work/grassroots/new-york-0">New York</a></span></div></div>Mon, 11 Jun 2012 17:31:37 +0000Simon Brown7230 at https://au.orghttps://au.org/blogs/wall-of-separation/sour-note-new-york-principal-unfairly-attacked-for-omitting-god-bless-the#comments